A common and potentially dangerous problem faced by backpackers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ต.ค. 2024
- In the outdoors, an ounce of prevention can be better than 10 pounds of cure.
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I hiked about a third of the AT last year and got turned around on trail once in NY (fortunately there was someone coming in the opposite direction after just a few minutes to set me straight again). Coming away from a shelter in NJ in pouring rain I became uncertain as to the correct direction until I literally looked down in front of my feet and saw a arrow made of sticks pointing in the nobo direction. I think about the story of the woman in Maine on the AT that was lost (fatally) every time
I take a bathroom break on trail, it’s no trivial consideration!
Yes, if Geraldine Largay had checked a compass before leaving the trail she might still be with us. Thanks for sharing and thanks a million for watching!
Well Done… Thank you !
Glad you liked it and thanks a million for watching!
Very good advice as always.
Thank you sir! Good to see you again and thanks yet again for being a great viewer!
Why not have a black dot on the white blazes? A black dot near the top of the blaze for north bound, a black dot near the bottom of the Blaze for south bound. On divergent trails the dot on top for towards the trail, the dot on bottom for away from the trail.
@@brumleytown1882 The side trail idea might be too complicated, maybe instead of a dot, a bar across the blaze for trails that intersect the main trail
@morg52 That's a pretty good idea. Whether all the volunteer clubs who do the real work to keep the AT passable could get such a thing done in a timely manner, we can only guess. And thanks a million for watching!
An analogue compass is a big ask for the last two generations growing up with their phone welded to them. Almost as big as a paper map.
Agreed. Let's hope they always have a good signal. And thanks for watching!
Absolutely true! This experienced hiker casually meandered off trail and ran into people riding horses and thought, …” funny, don’t they know horses aren’t allowed on the AT?”
That being said, I needed to defer to AllTrails to get myself back to the AT without doubling back. But otherwise, the rule is this- if you don’t see a white blaze- turn around. Retrace your steps on your current trail until you find an AT sign with a white blaze.
The 2nd time I lost the trail was on a series of switch-backs. It’s not much fun climbing on all fours trying to reach the trail again on the top of a mountain because that’s where you are assuming it is…..using a compass solves lots of problems! Thanks Flatbrokeoutside for another much-needed video! I sure hope to run into you on trail someday. 😎
Thanks for sharing! Keep hiking and thanks again for being a great viewer!
I have done 4 section hikes on the AT and got lost on every one. I even went in the wrong direction on the Potomic for 4 miles. I look forward to your next video.
Thanks for sharing and thanks again for being a great subscriber!
Great discussion! Thanks for once again reminding us that we cannot blindly count on everything always being OK.
You're welcome, and thanks again for being a great viewer!
Your content is always great! I think your channel was the first one I ever subscribed to. I'm currently recovering from a small collection of personal catastrophes and planning my next AT section hike, probably in the fall of 25, definitely in NC. Your videos always make me want to pack a loaf of bread and some tea and jump over the back fence, or whatever that quote is.
Seriously, it's always such a morale boost to see a new video from you in my feed.
Hope you have a great hike and thanks again for being a great subscriber!
Many thanks to you for helping to keep us safe! Learn to use and trust your compass, people.
Glad you liked the video and thanks a million for watching!
Great video, plain and simple! Thanks
Glad you liked it and thanks a million for watching!
Glad to see you posting videos again. My GF has posted videos of our thru hike of the Allegheny Trail in West Virginia and the ALT, as it is known, may be closer to you is you are coming from Ohio and may be more convenient for you to drive to. Unfortunately the northern most section has a lot of road walking walking and you would have to drop down to thr area around Blackwater State park to get some mostly backwoods hiking in.
Every time I've driven to the AT, I've passed a sign for that trail. Maybe someday I'll get on it! Thanks for the info and thanks for being a viewer!
Great advice, as always. If I have to leave the trail, or wander out of camp, I set a waypoint on my Garmin InReach. You can then navigate back to the waypoint. It works best in “clear sky” situations, so it may not be the best solution in every situation.
Thanks for sharing and thanks again for being a great viewer!
The "outvoted by 2 compasses" thing is real. I've done it
Thanks for backing me up and thanks a million for watching!
If I’m hiking or backpacking, I’ll take with me a thin reflective cord about 200ft long so I can trace myself back to the trail for sure, it would be a lifesaver and only about 3oz extra on my pack
Now that is an inventive idea! My compliments. And thanks for watching!
Great advice as always !
And thanks again for being a great viewer!
So many people underestimate the AT. I love hiking, but know my own personal limitations. Some are, I don't like to get wet, and can't go a day without a shower. So I could never through hike. I also don't have the willpower to accomplish such an incredible feat. The AT is mostly portrayed as an easy stroll with a group of friends. Videos like this sir, are realistically honest, without any sugar coating!
Yes, there isn't much sugar coating once we get on the AT! :) Thanks again for being a great viewer!
@@flatbrokeoutside6921 I always enjoy watching your videos, and your no nonsense approach to the outdoors!
Yup I will carry one for now on.
Outstanding! Keep hiking and thanks a million for watching!
I always carry 2 compasses also 2 flash lights. It is all too easy to be delayed for some unforeseen reason. I have had to make my way back to the parking area in the dark many times.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing and thanks again for being a viewer!
What I have done if I have to leave a trail is wait until I am on a single faced slope and go up the hill . The trail is always down hill to me . But , yes , I will always take a compass on a long hike .
Good idea, going only uphill! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
200 feet off the trail sounds like a long distance to me, I can be in someone's yard within a 100-foot or less 20 feet behind a large tree or bush should be good enough so long as your not up hill from a stream .
I think most people agree that's realistic advice. And thanks for watching!
Can't say I had these issues on my thru, but I have missed turns during ultramarathons or hiking on unmaintaned trail systems.
Thanks for watching!
I have a compass, bought it at Wal-Mart. I even know how to use it.
That's the spirit we like around here! And thanks again for being a great viewer!
I have a couple of analog compasses, but what scares me is addressing declination and the risk of either forgetting about that, or setting it backwards on the compass and then having the landmarks grossly conflicting from the map. I am used to being so close to the 0 line, that I don't need to worry about it for general use. However, we are moving to the Puget Sound area in WA, where they have a reasonable high declination of 15 Deg 8' East, (which seems highly variable depending on the source asked, and the age of the source). That gets really confusing. One thing though, even if you forget about the declination entirely and are heading off the trail for a potty break, you can still use the cardinal direction based on your red needle to navigate into the woods, and travel in the opposite direction back to the trail, as long a you are not trying to get exact information from a map. I agree that I need to take a formal class in navigation - for the lessons on declination if for no other reason.
One thing we can do is buy a compass that allows us to set declination on the compass. This is not exactly a simple procedure. I advocate practicing it at home. The following link shows how to set such a compass. What the link fails to emphasize is that once the declination is set, we line up the needle with the compass N -- which we adjusted -- and then use an arrow on the baseplate for our readings. I believe this can become clear if we work with such a compass for maybe 30 minutes at home. One detail about big compasses with baseplates is that they are almost always liquid filled, and if a big air bubble develops inside the compass, it might not give us an accurate reading quickly. When that happens, I vote to junk it and buy a new one. Also following is the link to my map reading video. Start watching at about the six minute mark and you'll hear a couple of very important details pointed out in the course I took. And thanks for watching! DECLINATION LINK -- www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/compass-declination.html --- VIDEO LINK -- th-cam.com/video/2NO3OV1KiUA/w-d-xo.html
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Great to see another one if your videos.